Army Kidnaps Five Palestinians, Including One Woman, In Hebron

The Hebron office of the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) has reported that Israeli soldiers have kidnapped, on Wednesday at dawn, four Palestinians, including one woman, in Surif town, northeast of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and one Palestinian in Hebron city.

The PPS said that soldiers kidnapped Mohammad Ali al-Heeh, and his wife, in addition¬†to Dia‚Äô Khaled Eghneimat, 25, and Mohammad Ziad Hmeidat, 17.

Al-Heeh is the owner of the home, where Mohammad al-Faqeeh, 29, barricaded himself, before the soldiers exchange fire with him, and fired two missiles into the property, destroying it and leading to his death.

Several Palestinians were also injured during the invasion, after the soldiers fired many live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets, and gas bombs, at local youths who hurled stones and empty bottles at them.

The soldiers also kidnapped Rami Mahmoud Abu Ermeila, 25, from his home in Jabal Johar area, in Hebron city.

Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Dr. Saeb Erekat, denounced the Israeli invasion and the acts of collective punishment by the military, especially since the army fired missiles into the al-Heeh family home, and demolished it using armored military bulldozers.

Erekat added that Israel is engaged in ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians through systematic policies aiming at destroying homes, and property, to displace the Palestinians, in addition to isolating entire communities, and escalating the abduction and imprisonment of the Palestinians.

He added that in the last 24 hours, Israel displaced more than 30 Palestinian families in Qalandia, Ras al-‚ÄėAmoud and the al-‚ÄėEesawiyya, in occupied Jerusalem, after demolishing their homes.

‚ÄúThe idleness and silence of the International Community is encouraging Israel to continue and escalate its violations against the Palestinians and their property,‚ÄĚ Erekat stated, ‚ÄúThe Palestinian leadership is constantly submitting the files of these violations to the International Criminal Court, but the International Community must act instantly, provide our people with the needed protection,¬†and hold Israel accountable for its crimes.‚ÄĚ